Internal-combustion engine.



L. s. GARDNER. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. APPLICATION PILED JUNE 10,191 2.-

1,095,102. Patented Am. 28, 1914.

- j KMJMM LEVI S. GARDNER, OF SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914..

Application filed June 10, 1912. Serial No. 702,655.

To all whom it may concern:

, y/Be it known that I, LEVI S. GARDNER, a citizen oi the United States,residing at,

Shreveport, parish of Caddo, State of Loui siana, have invented acertain new and uscful Improvement in Internal-Combustion Engines, anddeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertainsto make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanyingidrawings which form a part of this specification.v

In the ordinary internal combustion engine, in which the charge is firedby means of an electric spark it is impossible to 0btrain a low speedtogether with efficient operation, because either the combustiblemixture is so dilute as to interfere with the proper propagation of aflame or else the mixture must be made so rich as to result in a heavydeposit of free carbon. Even where it is attempted to obtain a low speedwith a rich combustible mixture, the ignition will be uncertain unlessthe spark is very powerful, and even then there is a loss of efiiciencyon account of the excess of combustible material and the losses arisingon account of the carbon deposit.

lhe object of my invention is to providemeans whereby perfect ignitionand combustion may be obtained at speeds much lower than have heretoforebeen practicable, without loss of efiiciency.

In carrying out my invention I make use of means for supplying a smallcharge of the proper combustible mixture at and main taining it at thepoint where the ignition takes place. This may conveniently beaccomplished by having the inner end of the spark plug arranged within asmall pocket which opens into the combustion chamber and which receivesa small. charge of combustible independently of the main chargedelivered to the cylinde By filling this small po ket with combustibleon the suction stroke of the engine, it remains 'within and iscompressed within the pocket during the compression stroke and preventsthe pocket from being filled with the more 1 dilute mixture in thecombustion chamber proper. Consequently the pocket contains at theproper time a compressed charge ofcombustihle of just the desired degreeof richness the entire charge in the engine cylinder or-comltmstionchamber may readily be ignited through the ignition of the small chargecontained within the pocket. The pocket may be filled in any suitableway, but I prefer to connect it to the main carburetor by means of asmall pipe con taining a check valve to prevent back flow;

so that whenever the engine is drawing in a charge through thecarburetor, it draws in an auxiliary charge into the pocket. I prefer toconnect the pipe leading to the pocket to the carbureter at a point backof the throttle valveso that the operation of the throttle valve tocontrol the main charge will have no influence on the auxiliary charge.-

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterizedwill herein after he pointed out with particularity n the claim; but,fora full understanding of my invention and of its object andadvantages, reference may be had to the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a fragment of an engine equipped inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of my invention; and Fig. 2 is avertical section an an enlarged scale through the device which carriesthe spark plug and contains the pocket adaptinl to hold the auxiliarycharge, an. adjacent portion of the engine cylinder being also shown.-

Referring to the drawing, 1 represents an engine having the usual inletand exhaust valves '2 and 3; the inlet valve being adapted to controlthe inflow of the main combustible charge through a pipe 4 leading froma suitable carbureter 5. In the particular an rangement illustrated, Ihave made provision for adapting my invention to engines of any typewhich have already been built and are in use and, for the I shalldescribe in detail only this. particular form. although it will ofcourse he understood that the structural details may be widely variedwithout departing, from my invention.

The engine which I have illustrated is one in which ignition is eflected by means of a suitable spark plug 6 and. instead of sore-win; thisplug directlyjnto the head of the cylinder or one of the walls of thecomv bustion chamber, I screw it into the top oi a n'ioniber 7 which isin turn screwthreaded into the usual openingfor receiving the spark plugas indicated at 8. The

member 7 is made hollow and is open at the top and at the bottom. Thetop is closed by means of a spark plug but the bottom remains open so asto place the interior of the member 7 in communication with thecombustion chamber in the engine. The member 7 is made long enough sothat the chamber within the same below the spark plug forms a pocket ofconsiderable length. A; pipe 9-leads from the carbureter to the member 7and communicates with the interior thereof at a point just below thespark plug. The pipe 9 preferably joins the carbureter back of thethrottle valve 10. The connection between the member 7 and the pipe 9may take any suitable or convenient form, there being in thearrangementshown a nipplell on one side of the member 7 and the pipe 9being fastened to the nipple by a suitable coupling 12. The inner end ofthe nipple communlcateswith the pocket or chamber within the member 7through a radial passage 13. .Asuitable check valve 14; within thenipple permits fluids to flow from the pipe 9 into the pocket or chamberwithin the member 7, but prevents a back- How.

The operation is as follows: When the engine is running, one chargeafteranother is drawn in through the main inlet pipe 4 in theusual way.Simultaneously with the main charges, small auxiliary charges are drawnthrough the pipe 9 into the pocket 15' within the member 7. By makingthe inlet into this pocket radial, the incoming auxiliary charge doesnot flow out of the pocket immediately and enter the combustion chamber,but remains within the pocket. Consequently at the beginnin of thecompression stroke the pocket is full of a comustible mixture having adegree of richness determined by the adjustment of the carbureter andnot influenced in any way' by the character ogiithe mixture in the maincombustion chamber and cylinder. Therefore on the compression stroke ofthe engins, the charge in the pocket, as well as the main charge, iscompressed; but the charge the main charge within the combustionchamber. In this way good ignition 'will always'beobtained and, when themain charge is a very weak one, as is the case where the engine isrunning slowly, ignition of the main charge may be eliected where thiswould be impossible if the primary ig nit-ion had to take place withinthe main charge.

lVhile I have illustrated and described with particularity only a singlepreferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to thestructural details thus illushated and described; but intend to coverall forms and arrangements which tall. within the terms employed in thedefinitimis of my invention constituting the appended claim.

I claim:

In combination, an internal combustirm engine having a small: pocketcon'mnniicating with the combustion chamber, a carburetor. aCOI'lnUCiIlUIl between the combustion chamber and the carbiu'oter forsupplying the engine with a combustible charge, and

an auxiliary connection between the rairbureter and said pocket, athrottle valve in said carburetor, and said auxiliary conned tionopening into the carburetor on the side of the throttle valve oppositethat on which the engine is located.

In t estimony whereof, I, sign this Fpwrh fication in the presence oftwo witnesses.

LEVI Gr illllNEll.

